The release of Netflix’s Squid Game 2 has brought back the spotlight on Choi Seung-hyun, aka T.O.P., and it’s not all positive. The 37-year-old actor-singer’s portrayal of rapper Thanos has earned him international praise, but in South Korea, the reaction is more complex.
T.O.P.’s past struggles with drug abuse have resurfaced and many are questioning whether his casting was a wise decision. The local media has been brutal, with one reporter labeling him a “druggie” and criticizing his acting skills.
“‘Druggie rapper’ TOP, his bad acting has made ‘Squid Game 2’ unbearable to watch,” the reporter wrote. “If an actor with insufficient acting skills has a lot of airtime, it is the audience and viewers who suffer the most. This happened in ‘Squid Game’ season 2.”
The reporter also suggested that T.O.P.’s acting was “cringy” and questioned whether he was the best fit for the role. But what’s striking is the reporter’s observation that international viewers love T.O.P.’s acting because they’re not watching the show in Korean.
“International viewers are not listening to it in their language, so they can accept the dialogue, tone of voice, and emotions behind the words more easily. For Korean viewers who recognise the subtle meaning behind every word and understand it perfectly, Choi’s acting can only seem clumsy,” explained the reporter. By the end of the report, the person asked if the show needed “a rapper who did drugs?”
Director Comes In Defense
Amidst the criticism, Squid Game’s director Hwang Dong Hyuk, has defended his decision to cast T.O.P. in the much awaited show. “I feel that it took him a lot of guts, in a way, to portray a character, especially someone who shares a lot of similarities that are quite negative to him as a person too,” he said, and added, “So I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role.”
What’s The Controversy?
T.O.P.’s career was derailed in 2017 when he was arrested for drug abuse, leading to a industry-wide backlash that left him largely shunned by the Korean entertainment industry. However, with his role in Squid Game 2, the actor-singer is making a tentative comeback to the spotlight, sparking a mix of excitement and controversy among fans and critics alike.
